For example, the pneumatic tire described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-228992 is designed to improve steering stability performance and noise performance. In the pneumatic tire, given that a pair of circumferential main grooves on an outermost side in a tire lateral direction are referred to as “shoulder main grooves”, left and right land portions of land portions partitioned by the shoulder main grooves inward in the tire lateral direction are referred to as “second land portions”, a first of the second land portions is referred to as an “outer side second land portion”, and a second of the second land portions is referred to as an “inner side second land portion”, the outer side second land portion includes a zigzag narrow groove having a zigzag shape, extending in the tire circumferential direction, and dividing the outer side second land portion in the tire lateral direction, and a plurality of sipes disposed at a predetermined pitch in the tire circumferential direction, extending from an edge portion outward in the tire lateral direction of the outer side second land portion toward the inner side in the tire lateral direction, and communicating with the zigzag narrow groove.
In general, to enhance the braking performance on snow-covered road surfaces, an edge effect is preferably improved. Thus, a groove having a zigzag shape may be provided as in the pneumatic tire of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-228992 described above. Nevertheless, a groove having a zigzag shape tends to result in a loss in drainage characteristics due to a sinuous configuration, and therefore tends to cause a decrease in braking performance on wet road surfaces. Further, a groove having a zigzag shape, because of the acute angle portions formed on the land portions, results in a decrease in the rigidity of the land portions due to the shape of the surrounding land portions, and thus tends to decrease the braking performance on dry road surfaces.